The vessel which contains the small Hosts used for the Communion of the faithful. It is similar to a chalice, but the bowl is usually larger and has a cover. The materials are gold, silver, or baser metals, but the interior must always be gold. When it contains the Blessed Sacrament it is enshrouded in a silk drapery, always white or gold in color. It is blessed by a bishop or by a priest deputed by him. The term was also formerly applied to the canopy surmounting an altar.